Hot Shooting Crusaders Down Road-Weary Gophers

SELINSGROVE, Pa. — On Saturday, Goucher's opponent tonight, Susquehanna, was held to 2 of 18 shooting from 3-point range in a 64-63 loss to Drew.

That did not stop the Crusaders, however, from jacking up 27 long range attempts this evening, and 12 of those shots found the bottom of the basket to help lead Susquehanna to an 88-77 home win over the Gophers.

Goucher (7-7, 2-1 Landmark) dropped out of a tie for first place in the conference, while the Crusaders (9-5, 1-2) grabbed their first Landmark win of the season.

Ultimately, the game was decided in a five-minute stretch early in the first half. After a free throw from Zachary Hall (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville) cut Susquehanna's lead to 8-6 with 15:32 remaining, the Crusaders went on an 18-0 run over the next five-plus minutes, and the Gophers never got the deficit back into single digits.

Susquehanna's lead was 50-29 at halftime, aided by a 57.6 shooting percentage from the field and an 18-8 edge on points in the paint.

The scoring margin hovered between 15 and 20 points for the majority of the second half, with Goucher never able to slow down the Crusaders offense for an extended period of time.

The Gopher offense, though, did manage 48 points after the intermission, and four players ended the game in double figures. Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md./Fairmont Heights) led the way with 24 points, scoring over 20 for the fifth time this season and fourth in the last six games.

Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) added 16 points and a team-high eight boards. Kevin Miles (District Heights, Md./Gwynn Park) hit 4 of 5 shots off the bench to finish with 15 points, while Brian Morton II (Ellicott City, Md./Mount St. Joseph) chipped in 10 points. Hall had a career-high seven assists, dishing out nearly half of Goucher's 16 helpers for the game.

The Gophers scored nine of the game's final 12 points in the last two minutes, aided by a pair of baskets from Jesse Mondry (Medford, Ore./South Medford) and a layup from Aidan Craver (Hyattsville, Md./St. Anselm's Abbey School), to reduce the final deficit to 11 points.

From the field, Susquehanna shot 50.8 percent compared to 46.3 percent for Goucher. The Gophers continued their recent proficiency from the charity stripe, converting 19 of 24 attempts from the line.

Brandon Hedley scored 23 points to pace the Crusaders, while Harley Sellinger totaled 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Goucher now turns its attention to traditional conference powerhouse Scranton (11-3, 1-2). The teams will square off at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Gophers' first home game since December 14.